First Comes Cooking
by knowhere
Summary: Literati. Which comes first? Cooking, apparently. AU.


**First Comes Cooking**

Author: Knowhere

Rating: Pg-13

Disclaimer: Nothing.

AN: I was given a prompt of cooking (Ava). Just a short piece.

Feel like you've got a good idea for a one-shot story for me to write? Or have you always wanted to read a certain scenario with my particular spin? Want to give me a prompt? Review/PM me.

Summary: Literati. Which comes first? Cooking, apparently. AU.

---

"Mariano."

"Hey, it's me."

"You gonna be more specific? I have lots of Me's."

She giggles. "Is this the way you tell me that you have a secret girlfriend?"

He feigns shock. "Damn, guess you found out my big secret."

"What's with you? Jess in a good mood? Never thought the day would come."

"Hey, sometimes I'm in a good mood."

"Name one time. And nothing in connection with sex."

He tilts his head and smirks. "Pass."

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

"What's going on? Calling me in the middle of the day? Aren't you busy tearing down governments with a single article?"

"Nah." She twiddles her thumbs. "Got some downtime. Thought I'd bother you instead."

"Hm." He shuffles the papers around on his desk.

"Actually, I was thinking…" She takes a deep breath. "That maybe it's time I learned how to…cook." She makes a face and pretends to gag on the word.

He laughs. "You? Are you kidding?" He shifts the phone to the other ear. "Is this another bout of temporary insanity? Like the time the paper did that health series and you thought that it'd be good to take up rock climbing?"

"This is totally different. Plus, I'm twenty-eight, almost twenty-nine, I think it's time I learned how to cook." She taps her pen on the edge of her desk. "And I was thinking you could teach me."

"No can do." He says it quickly with a flat tone.

"Why?" She whines. "Are you denying me the chance to learn something new?"

Playfully, "If you wind up learning, how do I know you won't just get rid of me? I'm the one who cooks for you now."

Smiling, "We'll cross that bridge when it comes. But maybe I can be persuaded to keep you a little longer." She pauses. "So, tonight? Start me off with something small."

He rubs the bridge of his nose. "You're serious?"

"As a heart attack."

He smirks. "You stole my line. Word thief."

"Learned from the best."

Voice monotone, "Ha ha."

"Okay, see you tonight!"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Don't forget."

Rolling his eyes, "Oh, I won't forget something like the possibility of my impending doom."

"Smartass." She hangs up the phone.

---

"So you wanna be careful with the knife."

She rolls her eyes from beside him. "Jeez Jess, give me some credit here."

"I don't want you to hurt yourself." He lines up the tomato. "Just parallel so that the pieces come out even."

"You're hogging it all. How can I learn if you don't let me do it myself?"

"Well…" He seems hesitant to give up the knife.

"Give." She orders with her hand flat out.

Turning the knife around, handle side to her, he moves out of the way. "Okay, yeah, make sure the tips of your fingers are just curled underneath." He watches her dice the tomato. "Careful!"

"I am! Don't yell, you're making me nervous!"

The microwave beeps and he turns to remove the dish. "Okay, here. Just slide the pieces on top of the pasta." He watches patiently as she drops some onto the floor. "And then grab the pesto."

She swivels around and reaches for the pot on the stove. "Here?" She motions to the plate.

"Yeah, slowly so you don't splash."

"Yay." She looks at her work. "I'm a regular Suzy Homemaker."

He nods and doesn't remark the fact that their kitchen now looks like it's in the middle of a war zone. "Yeah, congratulations."

Making her way to their table, she grabs the utensils. Watching him set the pasta in the middle she begins to spoon both their bowls. "Enough?"

"Yeah." He takes his portion. "So, why the sudden urge to learn?"

"Just thought it was time." She avoids eye contact.

He knows something is up. "Okay…" He drags out the word and implies the question.

Mock huffing, she points with her fork. "Just eat!"

They both chew in relative silence, her darting her eyes, and him stealing no-so covert looks at her. "Alright. Spill." He drops the fork with a clatter.

"There's nothing to tell." She gives him her innocent look.

He scoffs. "Yeah right. What is it? Another dinner with the elder Gilmores? A Stars Hollow event that requires me to do something ridiculous? What?"

She looks down and suddenly seems very apprehensive and forlorn.

His demeanor quickly changes. "Rory? It's all right. Just tell me."

Her gaze remains in her lap and she stubbornly shakes her head.

Jokingly, "If this is the way you're breaking up with me, you're doing a lousy job."

Eyes wide, she looks up. "No! I'm not breaking up with you!"

"Good." He smirks. "Then what is it?"

"I just wanted to learn how to cook so that I can take care of you." She mumbles.

"Take care of me?"

"Yeah."

He nudges her foot with his. "Why are you suddenly worrying about cooking for me? I thought you were all gung-ho about women's lib. Women of the world unite?"

She becomes silent once more.

"Rory?"

Explosively, she throws her hands up in the air, jarring the table in the process. "Because I want to be a good _wife_!"

He leans back. "What?"

Her face crumbles and she breaks into tears. "That was _so_ not the way I wanted it to come out."

He looks around as if searching for clues, and settles on her. "How was it supposed to go?" He calmly asks.

"Well, I was going to ask you to marry me first, before I implied it." She gnaws at her lower lip. Chiding herself, "Stupid Rory."

He smirks. "_You_ were going to ask me? Am I missing something here? Isn't it the other way around?"

She shrugs. "You said yourself I'm a modern woman." She pushes pesto around with her fork.

Eyebrows raised, "Rory?"

"I saw it." She confesses.

"Saw what?"

She rolls her eyes at him being purposefully dense. "The ring, you idiot. I saw the ring in the drawer. By the way, in a sock isn't really original."

He chuckles. "How long have you known?"

"_Me_?" She turns the tables on him. "How long have you had an engagement ring? Were you even planning on ever asking?"

He raises his hands in surrender. "Yeah. But the timing was never right. And everything I thought of was so damn cheesy."

She relents at his sweet confession. Softly, "I like cheesy."

"I know you do." He kisses her cheek. "But this works too. Yelling it at me." He laughs.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

They both pause and let the reality of the situation sink in. Looking over at her, he reaches for her hand. "So…"

She avoids eye contact.

He playfully pokes her side. "Earth to Rory."

Face scrunched up, she looks bothered. "Are you done mocking me for today?"

"Hey." He shakes her hand and slides out of his chair and onto one knee. "You better look at me or else you're gonna miss it."

She shuts her eyes. "You really doing it _now_? After what just happened?"

Deadpanning, he smirks. "Hell yeah. You started it, now I'm gonna finish it."

"This isn't the most romantic story to tell our kids."

"Stop jumping the gun. I haven't even finished the proposal yet; the kids come next."

She smiles softly. "Okay. I'm listening." She looks down pointedly.

He chuckles. "Don't give me that look. I didn't have some great speech planned out. You're the one who sprang this one me."

"Sorry."

"No you're not." He takes a deep breath. "I'm not going to list all the things I love about you or how you've changed my life, because you already know all of that and there's no reason to state the obvious. So…"

"Yeah?" She looks expectantly.

Suddenly, he stands. "Shit, I don't even have the ring. Don't move." He starts walking to their bedroom, leaving her sitting with her mouth open. Coming back, he winks at her and returns to his bended knee. Holding out the little velvet box, it opens with a creak. "Marry me?"

She bites her lip and just stares at the ring.

Teasing her silence, he jokes. "This isn't a surprise so you really shouldn't be taking this long in coming up with an answer."

As if jarred awake, she throws her arms around him. "Yes!" Tackling him to the floor, she sprawls her body on top of his, kissing him senseless.

With his arms tightly around her body, he enjoys the moment. Softly, "Hey."

"Yeah?"

"We're gonna get married."

She smiles. With a sing song tone, "First comes love, then comes marriage…"

"Apparently, first comes cooking, then comes marriage."

She laughs and he can't believe that he's finally got the girl. No matter how insane she might be.

---

**AN: **Review please.


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